Invisible Heart II
by Sora-Kairi-4-ever
Summary: It’s been three days. Despite Kairi’s hopes, Sora hasn’t come back. But a mysterious boy has landed on Destiny Islands. He looks just like Sora…only blond. Together, Kairi, Riku and the blond have to find a way to get Sora back… Sequel to Invisible Heart!
1. An Old Friend

**Author's Note: **Surprised it's up so soon? I actually am too. Sorry, Lost Souls fans - this sequel ended up coming out before the Lost Souls sequel…but don't worry, LS WILL have a sequel posted soon. Profile has full summary, etc.

**Disclamier: **I don't own the Kingdom Hearts series - they belong to SquareEnix. I own the plotline, the name, and the laptop I'm writing on, but not the computer I use to post it - that belongs to my Mom...

**Invisible Heart II**

**Chapter 1**

**An old friend**

It had only been three days.

To Kairi it felt like at least three weeks.

The first day, she had written on the cave wall. The second day, she didn't leave the house. And now was the morning of the third.

Riku hadn't talked to her at all the first day, and she hadn't talked to him. She didn't even know what happened after she woke up - she only remembered being in a blur, hearing Leon's voice on the Gummi Ship communicator, and arriving home shortly after.

The second day, Riku had tried calling her, but he hardly got any words out of her. Kairi's mind began to wander as the sun rose…

"_Yup!" Sora grinned. "You'll see loads of other worlds with me and Riku. Promise."_

Kairi burst into tears at the memory, cuddled in her bed with her teddy clutched close to her.

"You PROMISED Sora!" She sobbed, hugging her teddy harder, just realizing it was the one _he_ had given her for her 7th birthday.

"Why'd you have to leave?! Why'd you have to be so…so…Sora!"

A sudden resounding BOOM stopped Kairi's tears, and she looked out her window, only to see what resembled a crashed Gummi Ship, extremely close to her house. A gasp escaped Kairi as she stared at the boy who was struggling to keep his balance - he had obviously just climbed out of the Gummi Ship.

Her breath caught in her throat. Excitement pumped through her veins, and her heart clenched as she set eyes on the boy.

"S-Sora!" She squeaked, and hauled herself out the window and onto the roof awning just below it. She quickly swung herself down and ran towards the boy, realizing a few things:

His eyes were still perfectly blue

He was still the same height

His hair was still spiky…

Only he was blond.

Kairi was speechless. Of course she recognized the boy, it had only been a little over six months, but it shocked her to see him here…to see Roxas. It made it feel so…final.

He was struggling to keep his balance, the way you try and walk in a straight line after spinning in circles for five minutes straight.

"Man this has to be the what…second time he's killed himself for you?" Roxas asked groggily, leaning over and holding his hands to his head.

"ROXAS!" Kairi shouted. She attempted to grab Roxas by the front of the shirt, but since he was so dizzy he just fell on his butt in the sands. Anger rushed over Kairi like nothing before.

"How can I get Sora back, where is he, what's going on?!" She practically screamed, her angered emotion turning suddenly to despair and sadness.

"I'm sorry, Kairi…" Roxas said, still looking a bit dizzy. "I really don't know anything. I only have Sora's memory's of what happened at The World That Never Was. I don't know anything more recent then that."

Kairi fell down across from Roxas in the sand, face buried in her hands.

Roxas shook his head rapidly too shake off his dizziness, then moved onto his knees to get closer to Kairi. He raised a hand as though to put it on her shoulder and opened his mouth, but instead of words a yelp of shock came out when Kairi jerked her head up and yelled,

"Riku!"

She glanced at Roxas who had fallen backwards, realizing she had scared him. "Riku, I gotta go tell Riku!" She jumped to her feet and felt her pockets for her phone - of course it wasn't there, since she hadn't changed her clothes since three days ago. Every time she tried to the feeling of their last moment together kept her from changing.

"Roxas, wait right here. I've gotta go call Riku." And without another word the broken hearted teen rushed off inside her house.

* * *

Within about 10 minutes Riku was standing next to Kairi and Roxas, looking quizzically at the blond.

"People might notice how much he looks like Sora." Riku said after a moment. "He'll have to stay somewhere so he doesn't draw attention."

"Why would it matter if he looked like…him?" Kairi couldn't bring herself to say his name.

Riku aised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, that's right, you wouldn't have heard...the whole island just thinks Sora's gone missing. They have search party's looking around for him. We can't tell them what happened without worrying about ruining the world order. Unless we dye Roxas' hair brown and pretend we've found Sora, we've got to keep this quiet…"

He trailed off as the three stared at each other.

"That's actually a great plan." Kairi said.

"Then why do I feel like an idiot?" Riku muttered, rolling his eyes at himself.

"Hey, hold up!" Roxas said, raising his arms. "You're gonna dye my hair??"

"We'll make sure it washes out." Riku said. "But stay low, and don't be seen. We'll be back as soon as possible."

Roxas sat down a grumbled slightly while Riku and Kairi headed off to the drug store.

* * *

Riku stared at the rows and rows of hair dye - there seemed to be at least a million for only brown.

"What shade do we get?" Riku asked in shock.

"Oh come on Riku, you must know something about buying hair dye." Kairi said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riku said with a light growl.

Kairi just glanced at his silver hair before turning back to the boxes.

"Raven brown? Auburn? Sunset?" Riku asked, picking up a few boxes.

Kairi shook her head and reached mutely towards one box.

"Chestnut 247. It should go the right color because or Roxas blond hair."

Riku glanced at Kairi, noticing she was trying to act normal - Riku knew she must have missed Sora a lot if she remembered his exact shade of hair.

As he two went up to the cash register, Riku reached for his wallet and winced slightly. Kairi noticed, but didn't say anything as he paid for the hair coloring and the two left.

"C'mon, we better hurry." Kairi said, starting to jog back to where they left Sora's Nobody.

Riku started to jog after her, but after a moment stopped suddenly, muttering curses and holding his side.

"Riku? Something wrong?" Kairi asked, concerned.

"It's nothing." Riku grumbled, rubbing his side slightly. "Keep walking." He added irritably as she stared at him.

"Are you hiding something?" Kairi asked curiously. "You winced when reaching for your wallet, too."

"It's nothing." Riku grunted, and Kairi decided not to push it.

* * *

Roxas let out a slight scream when he saw his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Kairi was just glad no one was home to hear it.

"I'm…I'm…Brunette!" Roxas said, grasping at his hair dramatically.

"That was the point, dumbass." Riku said, rolling his eyes.

Kairi didn't say anything - it looked as though Sora was standing right beside her, with his hair cute shorter.

"This stuff better wash out." Roxas said, tugging at one of his spikes.

"Yeah yeah, let's just go over the plan." Riku said. "Basically, if it looks like we found him, they'll call off the search. Then Roxas can go back to his hair color and we can figure out what the hell is going on."

"Won't they wonder why no ones seen him in three days?" Kairi asked.

"I dunno, a coconut fell on his head an the got knocked unconscious." Riku said, giving a wave of his hand.

Roxas gave a loud sigh. "That sound like something my Other would do, actually…"

* * *

The plan went through simply and no one bothered asking any questions - though Wakka did start calling 'Sora' clutzilla.

The next day the three met up just as the sun was rising - Roxas had stayed on the island for the night, so Kairi and Riku used the boat to go meet him. When they got there they saw him standing under the waterfall, trying desperately to wash out the hair coloring.

"Hey, blond boy!" Riku called. Roxas slipped and fell flat in the water, getting soaked head to toe.

"At least that got the dye out." Roxas muttered as they came towards him. He pulled himself out of the water, shaking his hair like a dog, causing Kairi and Riku to get slightly wet.

"Roxas," Kairi said instantly, not beating around the bush. "I need to know everything about what happened. I have to know if…if there's anyway…"

Kairi was on the verge of tears again. She didn't want to ask if there was anyway to bring Sora back - it would make it even more final he was gone.

Roxas shook his head. "I'm sorry Kairi, I don't have any information. I have Sora's memory's - but the last thing I remember is Sora…well when he released the Heartless inside of you."

Kairi gave a sad sigh, feeling slightly helpless.

"And you crashed here on a Gummi how?" Riku asked, bringing up a subject that should have been asked the day before.

"Didn't you hear a word I said?" Roxas asked, slightly irritable. "The last memory I have is when Sora sacrificed himself. I dunno how I got here or why - probably something stupid to do with being a Nobody."

Kairi looked at him slightly surprised - she expected him to say the last line with complete resentment about being a Nobody, but he was really casual about it.

"We should head to Radiant Garden - they'll be able to help!" Kairi said suddenly, sounding desperate. "And with Maleficent out of the way we can do whatever!"

Riku gave a slight grunt and Kairi looked at him.

"What?"

"Not quiet." Riku said darkly. "She escaped."

Kairi gave a loud groan of frustration.

Roxas shrugged slightly. "Well at least this time I'll get to fight the old hag too."

Riku ignored the comment form Roxas. "Kairi's right, we should head to Hollow Bastion."

* * *

_Roxas_: How many times do they go to Hollow Bastion?! Like geez!

_S-K-4-E_: My fic, Roxie. I can make em go there a million times if I want.

_Roxas_: Starts a dramatic 'NOOOO!

Anyway there you have it, the first chapter and my first sequel! In a surge of inspiration I wrote out the entire plot line, and I'm actually impressed with myself o-o. It's going to be pretty long, since we're actually doing some journeying in this one! Check my profile for more plotlines, hit status and update dates! Please Review!

_Roxas_: Finishes screaming 'NOOOO!' Oh, we done already?


	2. What If

**Author's Note: Well, for one thing, I feel so guilty bout not updating I don't feel like I should be called an author :P for another, this chapter was completed MONTHS ago, I just never knew so I didn't post it (newer chapters will probably have a different writing style as mine has changed slightly) What's that? NEWER CHAPTERS? Yeah, I can't make any promises, but I feel like the block I had has been lifted ever so slightly, so, if things go well, I may be back. Onwards!:**

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Disney, Square, etc.., purely fan made :)

**_EDIT: People seem to have gotten the idea Riku is in love with Kairi...he isn't, at least not in this story - I've edited the sentance at the bottom that made people thinks this _**

**Chapter 2**

**What if…?**

Kairi, Riku and Roxas all boarded the Gummi Ship - the same ship Sora had been on less then a week before.

Riku started the ship up, and soon it was airborne. Kairi didn't say a word, staring quietly out the window and looking slightly uneasy.

It didn't take long to get to Hollow Bastion however - it almost felt like it took _less _time, which made Kairi wonder if that was because Sora wasn't there to try and steal the controls from Riku.

After landing the three headed straight for Merlin's place - Leon, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith and Merlin were all there, and shocked to see Roxas.

"Who's he?" Cid asked, sitting in his usual computer chair.

"He's Roxas…he's Sora's Nobody." Riku said calmly, as everyone (excluding Roxas and Kairi) looked at him in slight awe.

"Last time…" Kairi said and attention was drawn to her. "When Sora turned into a Heartless, I hugged him…and he came back…"

"So your going to go around hugging Heartless and see if any turn into Sora?" Riku scoffed slightly.

"No." Kairi said angrily. "But there has to be a way we can get him back!"

"Actually…" Yuffie said dramatically. "The Ansem reports have tons of info! They could help you find a way…only, they're scattered across different worlds-!"

Almost everyone in the room gave loud groans of annoyance.

"Again??" Riku demanded.

Yuffie started laughing and waving her hands. "No, just kidding! I think you went after the reports enough times."

"If Yuffie's done joking around…" Leon said, unfolding his arms. "I have some information that might actually be useful."

The three perked up and looked over at Leon.

"Ansem The Wise's research is still on the computer. We've been going through it and in it he mentions different pendants that, when placed in the correct machine, can bring back those lost to the darkness."

"Serious??" Kairi exclaimed, excitement in her voice.

"It is extremely unstable, mind you!" Merlin chimed in.

"That's right." Aerith said calmly. "In the data it seems this machine only worked once - on one of his apprentices. Xehanort."

Riku gave a slight scowl at the name and in response to Kairi's confused look said,

"Xemnas' other."

"We think we've salvaged most of the parts for the machine." Cid said, the usual stick in his mouth. "And we're still looking."

"While we're doing that," Leon said calmly. "Maybe you three should look for these 'pendant' things. It sounds like the machine can't run without them."

"Would they be in Hollow Bastion?" Roxas asked, speaking for the first time.

"Nope." Yuffie shook her head. "Nothing's easy, eh? In his report it mentions him scattering the pendants - which means it's up to you guys to find them."

Kairi sighed slightly. "How many are there?"

"Seven, supposedly." Aeirth said. "If his research is correct, I mean."

"I'm traveling this time." Kairi said stubbornly. "I'm _not_ staying behind."

Riku knew there was no point in arguing, so he just shrugged.

"I suggest starting at the Olympus Coliseum." Leon said. "You can brush up on your skills and Kairi can get trained to fight better. In the meantime, look around the town and stock up on what you need - leave tomorrow."

* * *

The three did what Leon suggested and stocked up on supplies - they helped out the Restoration Committee by taking out a few Heartless that were bothering the town, but the security system - aka claymores - had the defences pretty much covered. Before heading in for the night, Kairi couldn't help but pause and look at the setting sun.

_I wanted to travel to worlds…but with you here beside me…_

* * *

"Riku?"

The only reply Kairi got was a slight grunt, which was to be expected since it was the middle of the night - though Kairi hoped Riku wouldn't be sound asleep yet.

"Riku?" She tried again.

"Mmm…go to sleep, Kai..ri…" Riku yawned.

"I can't." Kairi replied. "I can't sleep."

Riku sighed and sat up in his bed. "Your thinking of him, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm thinking of him - I can't get him off of my mind!" Kairi sighed, struggling to hold back tears.

Riku sighed and plopped back on the bed, then raised and arm above him. He waved his hand for Kairi to come over.

"Alright, come here."

Kairi sat on his bed as Riku yawned and scooted back so he was against the back board. Riku shook his head, trying to wake up enough to listen to Kairi.

"What if we can't find the pendants? What if the machine doesn't work? What if we never see him agai-"

"What if," Riku interrupted. "We _stop_ playing the 'what-if' game."

Kairi stared at him silently for a moment, noting the sleep and blurriness in her friends eyes.

"Yeah…I guess you right…sorry to bother you, Riku…" She stood up to leave but Riku stopped her.

"Kairi, wait…if you need to talk, I can get up, really…"

Kairi gave a half hearted smile. "Thanks, Riku…but I think I'll be okay."

"You sure?" Riku frowned slightly.

"Yeah…Goodnight."

Kairi shut the door behind her and sighed.

"Oh Sora...What if…I never get the chance to tell you I love you…" She murmured to herself.

**A/N: Check out my profile if you like, best way to find out when I'll update is to message me.**

**Drop me a review if you can...Q.Q**

**Much Love, **

**S-K-4-E.**


	3. Olympus Coliseum

**Author's Note: **Heyy, an update! I remember those :) I really need to sharpen my writing skills, however…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts, all copyrights etc. belong to Square / Disney / whatever.

**Chapter 3**

**Olympus Coliseum**

Needless to say, Kairi hardly slept. She was up at 5am, walking around Hollow Bastion, but not straying far from the Hotel Leon had let them stay in for free. She already had double, triple, and quadruple checked that she had everything she needed. Watching the sun rise, she struggled not to think of whether or not Sora was watching the same sunrise - of course, trying _not_ to think of it, made her think of it.

Kairi gave a loud growl of frustration, punching the stone wall she was sitting on.

"Kairi?"

"What!? Who-?" Kairi turned around sharply, loosing her balance on the stone wall. She slipped off the side, only to have a hand quickly catch her own and pull her back up.

Kairi starred at Roxas, confusion on her face, as if she couldn't quite place something.

"Kairi? You alright?"

Kairi gave an almost silent sigh and looked away, realizing what felt wrong - the look he gave her, the one of concern, it was almost identical to Sora's - she couldn't bear it.

"I'm _fine_, Roxas." Kairi didn't mean to snap, it just tumbled out.

"_Someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Roxas said, a shred of annoyance in his voice. He frowned at the bags under her eyes. "Or maybe you haven't woken up yet…"

Kairi sighed. "Sorry Roxas…I'm just tired…"

"You might want to sleep on the Gummi Ship, then…your going to need you energy if your getting trained to fight."

Kairi gave a nod and the two started walking back to he hotel.

"Why are you up so early, anyway?" Kairi asked, stifling a yawn.

Roxas paused to look at her.

"I think…I can feel him, Kai. I'm not sure," He added hastily. "But I can defiantly feel…something."

Kairi stared at him, shock on her face.

"Do you mean…he's alive?"

Roxas gave a half shrug, half shake of his head. "I don't know what it means…only that we better find those pendants as soon as possible."

* * *

No one answered when they knocked on Riku's door, so Kairi opened it slowly. There was a slight scuffling and Riku was suddenly at the door, almost blocking Kairi and Roxas' view.

"Hey, you almost ready to go?" Roxas asked casually, but Kairi had a feeling Riku was hiding something.

"Yeah. Almost. I just gotta put a shirt on…"

"C'mon, Riku, that's like the oldest excuse in the book. What're you hiding?" Kairi asked.

"No, really." Riku pulled back the door halfway they could see he was indeed shirtless.

Kairi pretended to gag. "Ewww, get a shirt on…"

Roxas laughed. "Meet us in front of the hotel when your ready."

"What, you two are already packed?" Riku looked between them and they nodded. "Okay, see you in a few…Leon wanted us to drop by before we left…"

He shut the door and the two went down to the front of the hotel in silence.

It didn't take long for Riku to join them, and the 3 headed off to Leon's place.

* * *

"Morning guys!" Yuffie said excitedly when she saw them, jumping across the room towards them. "Almost ready to head off?"

"Leon just asked us to drop by before we left." Riku said.

"You just missed him." Yuffie gave a sympathetic look. "He asked me to give this to you guys-"

She handed Kairi a small purple bag, which she opened.

"It's a printout of what we believe the pendants look like, according to the texts we've read." Yuffie explained while Kairi read the list:

_Heart_

_Cross_

_Heartless Symbol_

_Nobody Symbol_

_Keyblade_

_Crown_

_Keyhole _

"Thanks, Yuffie." Roxas said, reading over Kairi's shoulder.

"Have a safe trip guys! Cid installed some new Gummi's on the ship, and you should have no trouble communicating with us. OH! I almost forgot, when you get to the Coliseum, ask for Philoctetes."

"Philoctetes, got it." Riku said, turning around and heading back out the door.

Yuffie grinned and waved as they left, climbing into the Gummi Ship, as ready as they could be for their adventure.

* * *

It didn't take long to get to the world - Kairi was in awe as Riku landed the ship, amazed at the difference between new worlds and her own. When the three walked out of the ship and onto the golden ground, there was no one around.

"They're in there…" Roxas pointed towards a set of doors, and to answer the questioning looks Kairi and Riku gave him, added - "I have Sora's memory's, remember?"

Kairi gave a sigh and followed the two boys, hopping she wouldn't be helpless at defending herself.

Inside the doors was a little chamber, with trophy's on two sides of the walls. Across from them was an open door leading to an arena, and polishing the trophy's was a half goat, half man.

"Err…Philoctetes?" Riku asked, unsure.

"That's Phil." The goat man replied without turning around. "Ain't no Tournaments today, come back tomorrow."

"Ah…Actually…we were wondering if we could get some training, Phil." Phil turned at Roxas' voice and frowned.

"You look a bit like someone I know." He stated.

Kairi butt in. "He's Sora's other. We need to be trained on how to fight so we can find a way to get Sora back!"

"Sora…?" Phil looked upset at what he heard. "You must be Kairi and Riku…all Sora ever talked about was you…Alright, I'll make you a deal. I'll train you, but in exchange, I need you to help find the Olympus Stone. I …_might _have accidentally left it in the Underworld…and Herc is coming back from visitin' his old man tonight…"

"Sure, we'll help." Roxas said cheerfully while Riku gave him a bit of a glare for not asking their opinions.

"I'm coming." Kairi said at once, firmly.

"The entrance is just outside, behind the big doors." Phil explained. The three started to leave, when Phil called out,

"Oh and keep an eye out for Hades!"

* * *

"This is a bad idea…" Riku muttered, looking at the fog and darkness around them.

"We can handle it." Roxas said simply.

"_We _can." Riku agreed, looking over at Kairi.

"Hey!" Kairi crossed her arms and stood her ground. "If you can handle it, what makes you think I can't?"

The two boys exchanged a look, but didn't say anything.

Though Kairi was making them let her come along, she couldn't help but have her doubts. Sora had told her about all the different villains, and a chill ran through her as she thought of Hades, and followed her two friends through the first door within the Underworld. What awaited on the other side surprised her - though she scolded herself mentally for not preparing for it. Heartless.

The two boys quickly called their Keyblade's and attacked the bats, destroying the few in an instant.

"Still think it was a good idea to come along?" Riku asked, keeping his blade out as they walked.

"Do you feel that?" Roxas asked, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. "Like something's weighing you down?"

"A bit." Riku admitted, but they dropped it and continued walking in silence.

Every now and then a Heartless would appear and the two would take them out with ease. Kairi felt safe, but worried when they didn't find the stone within the first 40 minutes.

"This is so pointless..." Riku muttered as they walked into a large open cavern with doors on either end. "We're practicing here, probably as much as we would with Phil."

"True," Roxas said. "But Kairi still needs to learn. Plus, sounds like the guy's in a pickle."

"Yeah…" Riku huffed and blew some hair out of his face. "Just wish there was more of a challenge."

"Did somebody say…_challenge?_"

All three spun around at the challenging voice.

"Hades…" Kairi whispered, her eyes wide.

"Bang boom, baby!" Hades grinned. "A challenge you want…" Hades snapped his fingers and about 20 Heartless appeared. "A challenge you get…and just for fun," Hades pulled the Olympus Stone out of his robe, through it in the air and caught it. "Defeat me, and the Olympus Stone…is yours."

**Authors Note: **Yay! I mean…Oh no!!

Review?

Cookie?


	4. Olympus Coliseum II

**Author's Note:** HEY! Anyone remember me? Just wondering. Been so long right? I've revamped my whole profile…and my plot lines, and BAM BOOM BABY! It's good to be back!

I feel like I should be saying more...well, Feel free to drop me a message or a review, just to let me know if you think my writing has changed a lot, or if I suck for not updating for so long, or your opinion on ice cream flavours…anything really. Anyway here's the lovely chapter so patiently awaited!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Olympus Coliseum II**

Hades cackled as he held the stone above his head, heartless appearing around the three teens. Roxas and Riku instinctively shoved Kairi behind them, drawing their Keyblade's.

"Hey!" Kairi shouted. "You said we had to defeat _you, _not your guardian heartless henchmen!"

"I did say something like that didn't I? Well, here I am!" Hades gestured to himself. "Come and get me!"

Kairi scowled as he laughed and the boys fought - she absolutely _hated_ this! She checked her surroundings quickly - there had to be _something_ she was good for! Her eyes locked onto the Olympus Stone in Hades hand, then she glanced at Riku and Roxas, who were fighting as if they bore an extra 50 pounds. Her mind clicked, like adding 2 plus 2, and she made the connection between them.

_If the stone is in your possession, you must be immune to the underworlds powers! _she realized. Glancing behind Hades, she noticed a stone bridge about 4 feet above his head. She followed it quickly with her eyes, tracing it behind a wall and coming out to a ramp a little ways to her right. If she could make it up there, she might be able to disarm Hades somehow. She knew there was no chance of her winning a fight against him, but she could get the stone away from him. If she ran for it, Hades might notice and stop her. Or worse, Riku and Roxas might think she was being 'dangerous' or 'reckless' and pull her back. Slowly, as the boys fought, she inched her way to the ramp. Like a magnet, the fight slowly followed. When she was a mere six feet away, she looked into Hades eyes, forcing her expression to be fearful instead of determined. When she had held his gaze for a second, she turned and fled. She could hear Hades cackling as she ran up the ramp and rounded the corner out of site.

"Got a little too frightened of the fighting, eh? Oh well. I think you might even be better off without her!"

Kairi hurried along the stone bridge. The path opened up before her as she came up to the corner that would lead her behind Hades. She paused, took a breath, then went out into the open. With the fight still continuing on, no one noticed her directly above and behind Hades. The boys, though putting up a decent battle, were struggling hard, and Kairi knew they wouldn't last much longer. She looked down, ready to jump, before realizing - the jump looked _a lot _higher from up here then it did on the ground. She looked back towards Riku and Roxas, just as Riku realized where she was. It was now or never - either Riku would call out and her plan would be ruined, or Hades would see where Riku was looking and turn around. She jumped, landing almost directly on top of the Dark God. In a tumble her and Hades hit the ground, the Olympus Stone spilling from his hand. Before Hades could recover Kairi reached for the stone - she was barely an inch away when a yell escaped her and Hades pulled her back. Kairi looked at Hades with wide eyes- his usually blue hair was a fiery red. The two struggled on the ground, both reaching for the cursed little piece of rock that might just decide their fates. Kairi kicked out and hit Hades in the stomach, the extra little push enabling her to grab the stone.

"Riku!" She shouted, and threw the rock with all her might. It wasn't the best throw - in fact it wasn't even a good throw - she was far off from Riku. The stone flew through the air and everyone seemed to hold their breath as it started to fall downwards. Roxas slashed away the bat Heartless flying for it and caught it himself. The air around everyone seemed to shift and Roxas took a deep breath as strength returned to him. He grinned at Riku, the two of them raising their blades to finish off the last few Heartless - with Hades down no new ones had sprouted up. Kairi shrieked as she felt something grab her neck, cutting off her airway, and throw her against the wall, winding her. Black spots appeared in front of her eyes as she heard her friends shout their protests.

"A deals a deal, Hades." Riku said in a surprisingly calm voice. "We won. Let her go."

Kairi could barely see the God of the Underworld through the blackness that was covering her vision, but she could see the fire red hair fading to a blue.

"Alright, alright." Hades laughed it off as if he had just lost a small bet. "Catch you later, eh?"

Kairi dropped to the ground as Hades disappeared in a smoke of black.

* * *

"He's a weird one, huh?" Roxas' voice came through Kairi's muddled haze. He sounded awfully excited. "I mean, he's not like the normal baddies. He seems to just have a bad temper, you know?"

"Roxas…" Riku sighed.

"I mean, normally the evil - doers would ignore deals, right? Of course I'm not saying he's good or anything but-"

"Roxas, please….shut up." Riku sighed. As Kairi awakened more she could feel someone's hand on her forehead. She blinked her eyes open and smiled at her two friends.

"Told you so," She said mockingly.

Riku smiled and Roxas laughed.

"Told you I could be helpful." She added, not sure if her last sentence had made sense. Her brain felt a little muddled.

Riku shook his head at the red-headed girl and helped her to her feet.

"Can you stand?" He asked, but Kairi pulled away from him and tested her balance. She rocked slightly - both boys moved to catch her - but she steadied herself and smiled.

"I'm good," She told them. "Now let's get the heck out of here."

Philoctetes ran towards the group as soon as they were out of the Underworld.

"Well?" He asked impatiently, hands on his hips.

Roxas pulled the stone out of his pocket and handed over to Phil, who clutched it like a new born baby.

"Perfect timing," Phil informed them. "There's someone I want you to meet, and he'll be here any minute." Phil started to walk to the coliseum entrance. The others followed suite and after going through the entranceway, ended up in the full coliseum. Empty stands surrounded them, the sun beat down on their backs. In the distance a whiny was heard - Kairi shielded her eyes and looked up. Something was flying in the sky. Riku stepped beside Kairi, ready to fend off anything that may come their way, but relaxed slightly when he saw that Phil wasn't worried. A Pegasus touched down a few feet away from them, a man on his back. He dismounted and walked towards Phil and the others.

"Herc! How's it goin'?" Phil asked cheerfully.

"Same old." Hercules smiled, then glanced at the other three.

"Herc, this is…" Phil paused, unsure. "Actually I haven't even got their names…"

"I'm Roxas." Roxas stepped forwards. "That's Kairi, and Riku."

Kairi waved, but Riku seemed a little less then pleased that Roxas got to make the introductions.

"They asked me to give them a hand training." Phil explained.

"That's great Phil." Hercules yawned. "And it was nice meeting you, but I think I'm going to take a rest. Visiting the Gods is a bit of a tiring experience."

He waved goodbye and hadn't even left before Phil was setting up barrels around the coliseum.

"We'll start with the basics." He informed them. "Just to see what you can do. No complaining!" He added, seeing Kairi's scornful face. "You wanted help, right?"

Kairi sighed and agreed, setting herself at the beginning of the course. Riku and Roxas went to sit in the stands while Phil held a stop watch. Kairi paused, a frown on her face. Something in her told her to raise her hand - it felt natural to do so. It also felt natural to see the light appear before her hand as she watched a Keyblade appear - The Kingdom Keyblade. Roxas and Riku exchange looks - she looked at them and shrugged. It just felt so natural - she assumed a part of her should be confused or worried, but she knew there would be time to ask questions later.

"Ready!" She told Phil excitedly.

After a few runs, Phil added more and more barrels. Kairi was doing well and was proud of herself, but was starting to get tired. Phil could see it and pushed her a little more, until finally adding a third floating platform Kairi would have to jump to to smash the barrel.

"Alright!" Phil called out. "Beat this in under 3 minutes, and we'll call it a night. Ready? Go!"

Kairi raced around, destroying the barrels on the first 'floor' before hopping up to the second and smashing the ones on there. Finally just the floating platform remained. She backed up and started to run towards it. Just as she jumped into the air, her vision flashed black. She heard a whisper of a voice:

_You know, I always hated doing this_.

She blinked, and could feel herself falling, before all went black.

* * *

"Kairi? Kairi!"

She groaned, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Kai…?"

Kairi's eyes opened at her nickname, a frown on her face as she looked up at three heads - two human, one satyr. Though she recognized the voices above her, they didn't match the one she heard mid-jump.

"Who was talking?" She murmured, and all their chatter ceased.

Phil frowned. "You alright, kid?" He asked.

"'Course she's not alright!" Roxas huffed. "She just fell about ten feet!"

"No…" Kairi sighed weakly. "Someone…they said something when I jumped…"

She watched Roxas and Riku exchange uneasy glances.

"Maybe you should get some rest, Kai…" Riku suggested. "Come on - Phil said he has some beds made up for us. We can rest up and continue practice in the morning…" Riku reached down and picked her up bridal style.

"What happened?" Kairi asked as Phil led the way.

"You were doing great." Roxas said. "There was just the last barrel - you jumped, and made it to the platform, then sort of slipped and fell backwards…we were scared you weren't going to wake up." He added in a soft voice.

"Even I know my heads to thick for me to go down that easily." Kairi said, mocking herself.

After leaving the coliseum, Phil made a hard left, leading them to a very nearby hotel.

"This is normally for people attending the tournaments," Phil explained. "But we've got a week or so until the next. And…a friend of Sora's is a friend of mine."

The Satyr frowned and shook his head. "As soon as you get him back, you bring him here, you hear?" He told them sternly before leading them inside and waving to a door. "That's yours. 'Night." He added gruffly.

Kairi was already drifting off in Riku's arms, that familiar voice in her head again…

_Kairi?_

* * *

By midmorning Kairi had upgraded to practicing on shadow heartless and by afternoon sparring with Riku and Roxas. Hercules showed up around that time, looking tired, but interested nonetheless.

"Hey Herc!" Phil called out. "Why don't you take these three punks on?"

Hercules laughed. "I don't know Phil…"

"Yeah!" Roxas exclaimed. "Let's do it!"

"Then we could tell if you were ready to leave or not, Kairi." Riku added.

Kairi smiled at the challenge. "I'm game."

Phil backed out of the way as the four tensed for battle. Hercules gave a roar and ran at them. The three broke ranks and surrounded him in a triangle, with Kairi at his front.

Roxas started off the attacks by hurling his Keyblade (Oblivion) at Hercules. The man didn't even turn, but a light yellow light was shimmering around him, and the Keyblade bounced off it, returning to Roxas' hand. The blond looked startled, then shook his head as if remembering something. Riku caught Roxas' eye. Roxas pointed to a nearby barrel and then to Hercules, while the half-God's attention was on Kairi. Riku nodded, and Roxas grabbed a barrel, and tossed it in the air towards Riku. The silver-haired teen swung his Keyblade like a bat, striking the barrel and in turn hitting Hercules. Herc swayed, stunned from the blow. Kairi, who was closest, jumped in and arced her blade to the side, hitting Herc with the dull end. Before he could recover, Kairi did a reverse arc to his other side, then jumped back in the knick of time. Hercules shook off his dizzy spell and started to spin around, his sword pointed out. His first target was Roxas, who rolled out of the way. Before Herc could get to Riku, he was swaying, dizzy again. The trio circled him, trading attacks with the dizzy man. Suddenly Herc crouched over and stood straight with a roar. Around him a shield of yellow blasted, sending the three flying back. Hercules advanced upon them slowly as they struggled to their feet. Looking around, Kairi quickly kicked a barrel, hitting Hercules in the shins. He stumbled and fell onto his stomach. Rolling over to get up, he was faced with three Keyblades pointing at him in the face.

The three teenagers were panting, and for a moment no one moved.

Hercules started to laugh. "Okay, okay. You beat me. Can I get up now?"

The trio slowly raised their blades, smiling at each other in congratulations.

"Guess this means your off then, huh?" Herc asked as Phil came over.

"Looks like it." Riku agreed.

"It's funny, I feel like I was just saying the same thing to Sora not long ago…but I hope you find your friend. I don't know everything that happened, and I won't prod for details. But I know you guys can do it."

"I only got two words for ya, kids: I know you can do it." Phil said gruffly. "Now scram! We gotta get this place ready for the Gaaammmess."

Kairi, Riku and Roxas laughed, and thanked their new friends while leaving.

"Well, what next?" Kairi asked, once aboard the Gummi Ship again.

"Let's see how Radiant Garden is doing?" Riku suggested, pressing some keys on the control pad. A second later the monitor flickered to life and Cid's face appeared.

"Hey kids!" Cid said, chewing on his usual stick. "Looking for Leon? Is there trouble?"

"No trouble." Riku replied. "We just wanted to check in…everything ok over there?"

"Ay-okay, Roger." Cid replied. "We'll call you if we need anything."

"Alright…I guess we'll be heading to the next world then." Roxas yawned, stretching in his seat.

"Sounds good. More parts have been found for that do-hicky machine. We'll keep you updated!"

"Thanks, Cid." Kairi said gratefully.

"Over and out!"

The three looked at each other.

"Well…where too?" Kairi asked softly, looking disheartened despite the good news.

"I…kinda had an idea." Roxas put it, staring at his feet. "That is, if no one else does." When no one replied he looked up. "I've been really wanting to go back…to Twilight Town. The trip wouldn't be completely pointless." He added quickly. "There's that mansion that Ansem the Wise was in for a bit. Maybe we can find something useful there…?" The blonds voice trailed off uneasily.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Riku said, giving a shrug and turning his chair back to the main screen.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Good thinking Roxas!"

Roxas just smiled and looked back at his feet, feeling a bit more uneasy then he thought he should be.

* * *

**Authors Note: **Just so you know, halfway through writing this, my 'E' key decided it wanted to pop off. Every five times I hit it, it would pop off again. But I wrote the story ANYWAY! HAH!

Check out my profile for updates, etc. Review? Ice Cream?


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